


The Aftermath

by wanderer765



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 06:58:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10270892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderer765/pseuds/wanderer765
Summary: My somewhat jumbled thoughts on how I think some scenes could play out next episode. I probably painted Barry a bit colder than he'll actually be, but I'm a bit of an angst whore :)





	

He sat up in the bed at Star Labs. His bone was pretty much healed, but so much else had been shattered. 

His eyes were scrunched closed as Wally's pleading screams replayed in his mind. 

His feet dangled over the side of the bed as he slowly lowered his legs down. It felt like he'd never find the ground, like a vast emptiness waited below. Was there anything solid beneath him?

He opened his eyes in an attempt to get his bearings, only to feel dizzy by what he saw. 

Everyone was huddled around Joe who still had Wally's shredded suit in his hands. He couldn't quite hear the conversation, but he knew they were strategizing, trying to figure out how to get his son back. 

Barry knew what he had to do. He pushed himself up to stand and slowly closed the space between him and everyone else. 

Iris stood beside Joe, her left hand rubbing circles on her father's back. 

A sharpness splintered through Barry's chest when he saw her empty finger again. He swallowed hard and willed himself not to expose the sadness, anger and hurt he was feeling. That wasn't what was important right now. He had a job to do. 

They all turned when they heard him quietly say hi. 

He walked around the computers, towards the middle of the room, finding a spot by Cisco. 

Iris watched him as he moved, but he wouldn't look at her. 

He looked tired and morose. She tuned out everything as she focused on his face, but she was sure she heard the words 'speed force' and him say that he had to go back there. Then he was leaving them, heading towards the hallway. 

The next thing she knew her feet were moving and she was following behind him. 

"Barry?"

His hands were in his jacket pocket as he stopped and turned to face her. 

"Don't worry Iris. I'm gonna find Wally. I'm gonna get him back."

There was so much space between them. She thought about moving closer to him but then her eyes met his. 

They were dull, empty, broken. 

So she stayed where she was, racking her brain for what to say, but coming up blank. 

Her mouth slightly opened and her body leaned forward a bit before Barry motioned behind him, his eyes glossy. 

"I need to get ready, so..."

She clenched her jaw and gave him a gentle nod. 

He turned to walk away, leaving her alone in the hallway. 

\----------

He was safely back, with Wally in tow. He somehow looked more sad than before he'd left. What had happened while he was there. What had he seen and heard?

She wanted nothing more than to run to him and wrap him in her arms. Kiss his soft lips and run her hands over him to make sure he was ok. But once again they stood on opposite sides of the room, his eyes avoiding hers. 

Wally made his way over to her and Joe. She hugged her little brother and it was then that Barry finally looked at her. She mouthed 'thank you' to him and he gave her a stifled smile. 

Their game of avoidance continued as he went off in the lab and she made her way to CCPN. 

\----------

She stood outside the doorway to their loft later that night, anxious and excited to finally have a moment alone to talk with him again. She knew he was hurting, they both were, but they were stronger than this. They knew better than to shut each her out. 

She knew what she wanted to say to him and hoped that he would hear her. That her love and need for him would be apparent, even though she no longer wore his ring. 

She walked into their dimly lit apartment and saw light coming out from their room up in the loft. She made sure to shut the door loudly, so that he'd know she was home. 

She took her heels off and made her way up the stairs. She walked into their room, not expecting the sight before her. 

Barry was leaning over their bed, stuffing clothes into a back pack. 

She felt the walls close in on her. 

"Bear?"

His movements stopped, but his eyes stayed down. 

She made her way closer to him. 

"What's going on?" she said softly. 

"I...I'm gonna stay at Cisco's for a little while. I just...I can't focus on saving you here...like this."

Her breath caught in her throat. 

"What?"

He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes still empty and broken. 

"I don't know how to be what you want me to be right now. I'm too focused on the future and I can't think clearly. The choices I'm making...I...it's not fair to you. I just think it's best if I'm not here right now."

She folded her arms in front of her and scoffed. 

"If that's what you want then..."

"It's what I need. I'm sorry Iris. You said you needed time to think and I'm trying to give that to you. 

I need it too."

She looked down and away from him, trying her hardest not to fall to the ground. He was leaving her. He was leaving her alone when she needed him the most. She thought they loved each other more than anything, so why was he leaving her?

He zipped up his bag and stood in front of her. He leaned down and kissed her gently on her forehead.

It was the first time they'd touched since she'd exposed her bare finger to him and she felt the electricity charge through her. She needed him to stay, couldn't he see that?

After he left she stood there in the same spot for what felt like an eternity. Their warm home suddenly feeling too cold and too big. 

She felt so small, so out of control. 

Her body felt too heavy to stand any longer, so she turned to sit on the edge of their bed. She felt herself shake as she let herself cry. 

She pushed back and slid under their covers. She pulled his pillow into her, wrapping herself in his scent, trying to convince herself in the emptiness of their bed that it would all be ok.


End file.
